Pyrotec recently launched Protag - automatically applied neck tags - which are manufactured under licence from Reeltek Systems International, Australia. These neck tags are cost effective and most importantly, do not effect line speeds when being applied to bottles. Recently, the first full-scale PROTAGTM application was successfully carried out at the Rosemount bottling plant in Denman, Hunter Valley Australia. Involving two roll-fed applicators rented from Reeltek Systems International Pty Ltd (based in Sydney), the patented PROTAGTM combination of liner-less neck-tag and high-speed application equipment was put to the test on both of Rosemount's bottling lines. Applying a total of 2.5 million promotional neck-tags accurately at 330 units per minute, the PROTAGTM system enabled Rosemount to maintain normal line speeds and enjoy success. Peter Day, Production Manager of Southcorp/Rosemount gave us his opinion, 'Promotions are a fact of life and in the past to do a promotion like this, we would have had to employ additional people and have a lot of manual input into the process. We've had application rates of ninety-nine percent (in the past), but because of the design of the neck-tag, a lot of them would fall off the bottle due to the accumulation on our conveyor system. With this system, the benefit has come from the fact that the collar stays put and the amount of losses are absolutely minimal, the speed is at line speed - we don't have to slow-down to run and we don't need people doing a lot of manually unacceptable tasks to try to apply the collars'. Some benefits of Protag: A Unique design allowing for a firm hold on the neck of the bottle, avoiding dislodgement Suitable for a wide range of bottle types Various formats available: Single-leaf, Single-fold or Double-fold Cost effective as Protag is liner-less and produced from a single raw material component It can be used for Cross promotions, Competitions, Special Offers, Couponing, further Product Information and lots more The Protag applicator can run at speeds of up to 450 bottles a minute. Pyrotec will be showcasing their unique range of promotional devices at Markex 2004, South Africa's premier marketing and promotions exhibition. This year's show runs from 8-10 June in the Sandton Convention Centre. Markex will also be coming to Cape Town, running an Exhibition in the Cape Town International Convention Centre from the 28-30 July 2004. Pyrotec will once again be exhibiting their promotional devices.Issued by: PyrotecTel: Cape Town: +27 (0) 21 511-8135Tel: Johannesburg: +27 (0) 11 433-3790Tel: Durban: +27 (0) 31 701-0192Email: sales@pyrotec.co.za